Vintage Old Wrisley Shave Soap

Price: Can be beat now. While it still doesn't fetch Yardley prices. It commonly goes well over $50 on the Bay.


Quality: Seems fine.

Scent: No scent in mine

Lather: The lather is sufficient for a good shave. There are several soaps out there that have produced for me a denser, slicker, superior lather. This soaps lather is virtually identical to vintage Colgate shaving soap. Stability and density is not Dissimilar from VDH deluxe. $50-125 or $2.

Efficacy: Lathering is easy. The lather is good but not best in class.

Moisturizing: I didn't notice any unusual moisturizing or drying properties.

I picked up a puck in the bowl with the paper cover several months ago. It looks just like the pic above. I was surprised at how well it lathers, even with an average old boar brush. It does leave my face a little dry, but not bad, and not as much as Williams. Mine came in a lot of stuff off the bay and I don't recall the cost. But I do recommend it.
Roger

All,

Thought I'd post a review of some Old Wrisley Shave Soap I picked up awhile back on "The Bay." I had read BBers speak of Wrisley SS, but never saw a review or what people think of the stuff. It is allegedly an offshoot of Yardley's, although I've been unable to find the connection after doing some research online. All I could find were some vintage Wrisley soap recipies and the story of a 1950s Chicago fire that burnt the Wrisley soap factory down.

Regardless, this stuff is a vintage soap of yore that contains all the Tallowy goodness of Yardley in the very least. I picked this up for mere change online and am very happy with the purchase!

Price: Can't be beat. Because this stuff doesn't say "Yardley" anywhere on the label, you can rest assured that it wont go for the astronomic prices on Ebay and elsewhere that vintage Yardley soaps go for.


Quality: Again, top notch Tallow soap here. Because my version is so old (I'm guessing 1950s or earlier), I really had to "re-charge" the puck. A few nights of dribbling water and letting the water sit on the soap overnight did just the trick, but this stuff is amazing shave soap!

Scent: First thing to go with old soaps. The seller described it as having a hint of Lavender...which was total B.S. IMHO. But, I didn't get it for the scent anyway. And the little scent it does have (mothballs or cigarettes?...obviously a by-product of where the soap was stored over the last 50 plus years...if you score a puck, it will likely not have the same scent...just hope the previous owner placed it near a perpetually growing lemon pile or something) dissipates immediately after the shave.

Lather: Tallow lather like you read and dream about. Stuff lathers up quickly, and stays on the face for the duration of the shave...does not disapear!

Efficacy: Minus the scent category, it does the job I'd expect out of a quality, vintage, Tallow-based, shave soap. It helps me "shave da face!"

Moisturizing: While I wouldn't put it in the category of MWF here...this stuff takes care of your face. You feel well moisturized afterwards and like a new man.

Bottom line: if you can score one online DO IT! You wont regret the experience